Best Places In The World To Retire

You can buy all kinds of furniture in Mexico. You’ll find basic and high-end furniture and everything in between, depending on what you want. There are so many furniture stores in Mazatlán that offer whatever you want. Fifteen years ago, furniture stores were few and very far in between. Now, you can find a lot of nice furniture in Mazatlán.

 

I just bought a large reclining massage chair here in Mazatlán which was made in the US....

You can buy all kinds of furniture in Mexico. You’ll find basic and high-end furniture and everything in between, depending on what you want. There are so many furniture stores in Mazatlán that offer whatever you want. Fifteen years ago, furniture stores were few and very far in between. Now, you can find a lot of nice furniture in Mazatlán.

 

I just bought a large reclining massage chair here in Mazatlán which was made in the US. Furniture in Mexico is much cheaper than what you’d find in Canada. The same large reclining massage chair in Canada would have cost me CA $6,000 -7,000 (US $4,500 - $5,200), but in Mazatlán, it only cost CA $3,000 (US $2,200).

 

Mexico does have Mexican brand furniture which is very nice. There is some very good furniture made in Mexico. Most of the time, whenever we want to purchase furniture, we go to the store and we don’t really ask where it’s made.

 

Fifteen years ago when we bought our first condo, we had custom-made furniture because it was so hard trying to find good furniture back then. We had our bed, couch, table, etc. made in Mexico fifteen years ago and it cost a fraction of what it would have cost in Canada. Now, here in Mazatlán you can find any kind of furniture you can imagine.

 

(Carved Mexican dining room chairs, pictured.)

The crime rate in Cayo against Americans and other expats is very, very low. I am proud to say that over the last couple of years there’s only been a couple of robberies, and there haven’t been any fatalities. There’s a lot of police presence in Cayo and people there are very helpful a

s well, so the crime rate is not what it sounds like on the news.

 

The main reason why the crime rate for Belize has ranked so high is based on...

The crime rate in Cayo against Americans and other expats is very, very low. I am proud to say that over the last couple of years there’s only been a couple of robberies, and there haven’t been any fatalities. There’s a lot of police presence in Cayo and people there are very helpful a

s well, so the crime rate is not what it sounds like on the news.

 

The main reason why the crime rate for Belize has ranked so high is based on the country’s low population. We only have 250,000 citizens so when you have a murder a month and you compare it to the full population it would seem to be a very high rate. We don’t have a cowboy environment here. We don’t have people walking around with guns; they’re prohibited. Only licensed firearms are allowed and you’re not allowed to carry them outside or easily visible.

 

The crime in Belize is normally centered in Belize City in one specific area called the south side Belize City, which is far away from Cayo.  Most of the expats in the Cayo area live out in the open, as opposed to behind guard gates. The only expats who would have a fence are the ones who have pets. They don’t want their pets to be roaming around, so they build a fence, but the fence is very friendly and still open because it is not too high; not made of bricks or blocks.  The fence would normally be chain-linked and it’s very transparent.

 

Some people in Cayo have burglar bars, if they have a lot of valuables in their home. One of the other reasons for burglar bars is if you’re in a secluded area.  However, in town, we don’t see burglar bars that often.  It’s not necessary because Cayo is a low crime area, and not a place where there are a lot of robberies or home invasions.

 

I was just in Cayo last Thursday. I spent a wonderful overnight and I came back Friday afternoon.  I have no concerns when I go to Cayo.  It’s very peaceful there, very quiet and the people are very friendly. Everybody knows everybody so you’re pretty safe. And people are very open to meeting new people. I can tell you because I made some friends last Thursday and Friday.

 

(Hotel in the center of San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)

I think a woman would be better placed to respond to how women and girls are treated in Portugal, but I suppose I can provide a perspective. Women are generally respected in Portugal and having lived abroad for so many years and observing Portugal, I see a fondness for matriarchs that is perhaps not present in many Western countries. A particular concern for those visiting the country is whether women are safe – in a sense related to a sense of how women may be perceived –...

I think a woman would be better placed to respond to how women and girls are treated in Portugal, but I suppose I can provide a perspective. Women are generally respected in Portugal and having lived abroad for so many years and observing Portugal, I see a fondness for matriarchs that is perhaps not present in many Western countries. A particular concern for those visiting the country is whether women are safe – in a sense related to a sense of how women may be perceived – when visiting Portugal. I would have to say that it is one of the safest countries with which I have been associated, and in particular women can freely walk at night without substantially greater fear than men.

 

Women have historically had very traditional roles in Portuguese culture, namely those associated with providing a core stability of the family unit. This has unfortunately meant that tasks such as cooking, raising children, and matters relating to managing a household, are automatically associated with the mother and therefore changing this has been difficult. However, my perception is that the biggest catalyst for change is the workplace. Despite the balance still being far in favour of males in senior positions, there are many talented women who have proved their worth by choosing careers where the glass ceiling is less in evidence. Medical careers, including nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and medicine, pharmacy, life sciences and to a certain extent teaching, have propelled women into more senior roles in business, R&D and education, for example. This has not happened in engineering, politics or construction, which continue to be male-dominated. I would say however, that women are no more likely to be treated poorly in the workplace than are men, and ironically my perception is that supervision by the opposite sex often results in better people management in Portugal than being managed by someone of one’s own sex.

 

Of course, I am happy to admit that I may have it all wrong as regards how women are truly perceived in the workplace… what I can say is that most traditional corporate environments in Portugal still expect men to work long hours whenever necessary and place much less emphasis on the importance of a male family role than, for example, many Anglo-Saxonic countries.

 

(Women of two generations, Portugal, pictured.)

There are clothes that you can buy in Granada, Nicaragua, but they are not the best. If you need to buy clothes, I recommend that you go to Managua where all the malls and shopping centers are located. That is where you can buy international brands of clothing. They have more modern styles of clothing so it is better to go to Managua, which is only 45 minutes away from Granada, so it is not a big deal. Granada is booming with new shopping centers right now but if you want to buy the...

There are clothes that you can buy in Granada, Nicaragua, but they are not the best. If you need to buy clothes, I recommend that you go to Managua where all the malls and shopping centers are located. That is where you can buy international brands of clothing. They have more modern styles of clothing so it is better to go to Managua, which is only 45 minutes away from Granada, so it is not a big deal. Granada is booming with new shopping centers right now but if you want to buy the best quality clothing, you can go to Managua. 

 

Granada doesn’t have malls yet.  What we have here are just the basics. The shopping centers in Managua are similar to mid-sized malls in the US. Zara just recently invested about $10 million to extend the Galerias, which is a shopping center in Managua and they opened about six new stores that carry beautiful and really good quality clothing.

 

(Zara fashions now available in Managua, Nicaragua, pictured.)